REP. ANDREWS BACKS BILL TO SUPPORT FAMILY FARMERS, INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, FIGHT HUNGER

Last week I  joined a majority in the House of Representatives to support fiscally responsible, fully paid for legislation that makes family farmers a priority, invests in renewable energy and supports nutrition programs that help families in need. The Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007 was passed last week by the House.

This legislation does not increase the deficit because it offsets these increased investments by cracking down on corporations who do business in the U.S. but evade our tax laws by using the fiction of an overseas address.

This bill gives family farmers the support they need and invests in our nation’s priorities and will make rural America stronger, move our nation towards energy independence and help end hunger in our country.

The Farm bill imposes real payment limitations that crack down on subsidies, saves more than a half billion dollars, and redirects funds to the people who need it most: working family farmers and ranchers. The bill also guarantees a historic $1.5 billion in funding for fruit and vegetable programs, which have not received traditional Farm Bill benefits and includes new transparency rules to ensure the public knows taxpayer dollars are getting to the family farmers who need them.

The legislation also includes critical provisions that support our efforts to make our nation energy independent and fight global warming. The bill makes historic investment in renewable energy programs providing $2 billion in loan guarantees for the development of refineries that process renewable fuels, a key step toward bringing more renewable fuels to market in America and includes $1.5 billion for production incentives for ethanol and biodiesel made from agricultural, forest, and waste plant materials.

Finally, the Farm Bill expands nutrition programs that help 35 million low-income families, including nearly doubling the funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, so that food banks, soup kitchens, and other emergency feeding sites have needed resources, and expanding the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program to all 50 states.

This legislation makes the right investments and gives farmers the help they need. The President should join our effort to forge a new direction in farm policy. 

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